


Friendship at the Edge of the World

by Brumeier



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Alternate Universe, Chatting & Messaging, Community: story-works, First Kiss, First Meetings, Friendship/Love, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-27
Updated: 2018-06-27
Packaged: 2019-05-29 15:49:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15076487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brumeier/pseuds/Brumeier
Summary: John and Rodney are polar opposites - quite literally, since Rodney is stuck up in the Arctic Circle and John is biding his time in Antarctica - but they forge a friendship nonetheless.





	Friendship at the Edge of the World

**Author's Note:**

> Story_works: Solstice Flash Challenge

Rodney wasn’t a happy man under the best of circumstances, and the circumstances were bad.

Being a scientist should’ve been wholly about the science, but no. There were politics involved, too. Rodney had said the wrong thing to the wrong person at the wrong time and the next thing he knew he was living in an oversized igloo in the middle of the tundra. Clearly the Prime Minister’s wife couldn’t take a joke.

He was working out of the Fullman-Sei Observatory, which was so far up in the Arctic Circle that even the polar bears looked too cold. It was dark for fully half the year. The observatory itself, which was a geodesic dome perched on what looked like a giant cake stand, had portable heaters inside, but Rodney wore the orange fleece pullover Jeannie had given him pretty much 24/7.

Besides Rodney there were three other people on staff full-time – an environmentalist, a climatologist, and the director – so they took turns cooking. Rodney hated cooking. And it wasn’t like there were a lot of handy grocery stores, so they had to subsist on a lot of government-issue stuff like dehydrated potatoes and oversized cans of pork and beans.

The only thing that made it bearable was his online pen pal.

_**JS:** Did you see any polar bears today?_

_**MRM:** Not looking for polar bears._

_**JS:** Well, you should. They’re pretty cool. You know what we have here? Midges. That’s it. Midges._

Rodney was sharing atmospheric data with his counterpart at McMurdo in Antarctica, and one night John had popped up in a chat screen looking for some clarification on his latest readings. Rodney had assumed he was on the research team and out of sheer boredom started having regular chats with John, who despite the roughly eight-hour time difference was online at the same time as Rodney.

_**JS:** It’s funny, isn’t it?_

_**MRM:** What?_

_**JS:** We’re talking to each other from the opposite ends of the Earth. Literally._

_**MRM:** You need to get out more, if you think that’s funny._

_**JS:** I get out plenty. Was out flying this morning._

As it turned out, John was only an honorary part of the research team because someone had found out he was a math whiz. He was actually a pilot for the US Air Force and, like Rodney, he’d been banished to a frozen hell-hole because he’d done something wrong. What that something was he never did say.

_**JS:** Couple more months and I’m done._

_**MRM:** Retiring? Have you been in long enough?_

_**JS:** Fifteen years. Let’s just say they’re offering me a pretty decent incentive to get out early. They want me to go quietly._

_**MRM:** And I suppose you’ll spend the rest of your days surfing and laying around the beach, picking up women. There’s a lofty life goal._

_**JS:** Don’t ask. ::winking emoji::_

There were some things John would talk openly about – his time at Stanford, his buddies in the service, his love of Ferris wheels – and other topics that were off limits, like his family. Rodney tended to overshare, so after three months John probably knew every last thing about him. Except what the first M in his initials stood for. 

_**JS:** Manuel._

_**MRM:** Manuel McKay? Try again._

_**JS:** Manolo._

_**MRM:** I think that’s a shoe._

_**JS:** Massapequa._

_**MRM:** Now you’re just making up words. I’m not going to tell you and you’re never going to guess it, so can we move on?_

_**JS:** Jeez, McKay. You never let me have any fun. ::stuck out tongue emoji::_

_**MRM:** I don’t know why I bother talking to you. You have the personality of a five year old._

_**JS:** Oh, come on. Five and a half at least._

Secretly, Rodney wouldn’t have expected an American military person to be so amusing. Or so intelligent. John was really good at math puzzles, which Rodney frequently emailed him hours prior to their chats, and sometimes they’d play Prime/Not Prime for the entirety of their sixty minute chat window. If he’d had access to a secure server – he’d made several presentations to Director Flynn about the necessity of protecting their research – Rodney would have tried to hack into the military database to find out why John had been sent so far away. 

*o*o*o*

_**JS:** You ever get lonely way up there?_

_**MRM:** For my real work, yes. _

_**JS:** I mean for people. Civilization. Movie theaters and fast food and concerts. _

_**MRM:** Oh. I miss the food, of course. I don’t know what they’re feeding you in McMurdo but we’re barely subsisting up here. I’m getting ready to hunt an elk myself. _

_**JS:** LOL! Mighty hunter McKay? _

_**MRM:** Yeah, right. Spear in hand. _

_**JS:** So is food the only thing you miss? No friends? Family? _

_**MRM:** My only family is Jeannie and we don’t see each other much. _

_**JS:** No friends? _

Rodney scowled at the monitor. Why was John being so insistent about friends? It wasn’t like Rodney didn’t have any, if he counted people he worked with but never hung out with outside of work. John probably had legions of friends, but it wasn’t so easy for Rodney. He was too suspicious, certain everyone was working an angle he just couldn’t see. Did they want to steal his work? Get close to someone else on his team?

_**MRM:** I have friends. Of course I have friends. I’m not exactly an ogre under a bridge, you know._

_**JS:** It’s trolls under bridges. Ogres live in swamps and have talking donkeys for friends._

_**MRM:** Why do I even bother talking to you?_

_**JS:** Because I’m your favorite new friend. ::winking emoji::_

That gave Rodney pause. John thought they were friends? Yes, they chatted each and every day, but was that enough to build a friendship on? Rodney wondered how he’d feel if John stopped talking to him. The answer: not good. Huh. Maybe they really were friends. 

*o*o*o*

_**JS:** Happy summer solstice! _

_**MRM:** Summer for you. Winter for me. _

_**JS:** Oh, right. So it’s 24 hours of dark there, huh? _

_**MRM:** Yes, Brainiac. Never thought I’d miss the sun. _

_**JS:** I don’t know. Lots of fun to be had in the dark. ::winking emoji:: _

_**MRM:** Not with this group, trust me. _

_**JS:** If I was there I bet we’d find lots to do. ::winking emoji:: _

Rodney sat back and stared at his monitor. Was John flirting with him? Or just overusing that stupid emoji? That was the thing about a chat window: he had no facial expressions or body language or tone of voice to let him know what John might be thinking.

Well, it wasn’t like John could be obvious about it even if he _was_ flirting. The Americans were still very backward in their treatment of gays and lesbians, and that ridiculous Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy was criminal. Why couldn’t everyone be as enlightened as the Canadians?

_**JS:** Rodney? Still there? _

_**MRM:** Do you play chess? _

_**JS:** Yeah. But I prefer full contact sports. _

Okay, Rodney was pretty sure John was talking about sex. With Rodney specifically? 

_**MRM:** I played hockey in high school. You don’t get more full contact than that. _

_**JS:** Football. _

_**MRM:** American football, and no. Hockey requires a lot more skill. Hello? Skating? _

_**JS:** I prefer figure skating. _

He had to be gay. Rodney wondered what John looked like. Based on personality alone, he knew he’d make a move on John if they were in the same room. He was a flyboy which meant he was probably cocky. Confident. Walked around with a swagger.

Rodney shifted in his chair, glad he and John never did video chats.

_**MRM:** Wanna play chess? _

They spent the remainder of the hour playing chess without a board or pieces, and John won. Rodney hated losing but losing to John…that was kind of hot. He’d never understand why someone with his brains was wasting them on the military.

*o*o*o*

_**BB:** Dr. McKay? Major Sheppard asked me to let you know that he’s been transferred off base. It happened rather suddenly and he didn’t have the opportunity to message you. I’ll be reviewing your data subsets from here on in. I look forward to working with you._

*o*o*o*

Rodney’s final two months at Fullman-Sei seemed to take twice as long. He hadn’t realized how much he looked forward to his nightly chats with John until he wasn’t having them anymore.

It didn’t help that he had no idea what happened to John. He’d only been a few weeks away from getting his early retirement package. Had the powers that be changed their minds? Maybe they’d sent John someplace dangerous, hoping they wouldn’t have to pay him off, and that scared Rodney more than he’d care to admit. He’d reached out to his only military contact, but she hadn’t been at all helpful.

“It’s been a pleasure working with you,” Director Flynn said, shaking Rodney’s hand.

He knew that was a lie, but he appreciated the effort. Rodney accepted the half-hearted farewells of the other inhabitants of the research center and then he was in a Jeep bouncing along the rutted road to the tiny airstrip and even tinier airplane. He changed planes once before leaving Nunavut, and again to get from Manitoba to Ontario. By the time he landed he was exhausted, his back was hurting, and he was starving.

Rodney almost missed the sign with his name written on it in black marker, because he hadn’t been notified that a car was being sent for him.

“I’m Dr. McKay and I don’t have anything in baggage claim, so let’s go.”

He followed the driver out, not so tired that he didn’t enjoy the view. The guy had a great ass. He was wearing black jeans and a black turtleneck, more casual than a limo driver but much dressier than a cab driver.

“Is this a joke?” Rodney asked when they got to the car. He’d been expecting a four-door, something with good snow tires since it was still very much winter, but instead he was looking at a sleek red sports car.

“Isn’t she pretty? It’s just a rental but I couldn’t resist.” The driver ran an appreciative hand over the top before opening the passenger door. “You ready?”

“I’m not getting in that deathtrap!” Rodney protested, clutching the strap of his bag with both hands. “And what kind of driving service uses rentals? Who _are_ you?”

The guy leaned against the car, arms crossed, and smirked at Rodney. “Aww, Rodney. Did you forget me already?”

He didn’t sound as confident as he looked, and Rodney really studied his face to try and remember if he’d seen the guy somewhere before. It was hard to believe he’d forget someone so good-looking and slinky, especially with that riotous head of cowlicks.

“We know each other?” Rodney asked suspiciously. 

“And here I was hoping for some full-contact sports while I was in town.”

Full-contact sports? What did that – 

“ _John_?”

“Maurice?”

“Wrong again,” Rodney said, but he couldn’t stop the smile spreading across his face. “What are you doing here?”

John shrugged. “I know a guy who knows a gal. Found out when your plane was coming in and thought maybe we could get properly acquainted. You know. If you want.”

If he wanted? Of course he wanted! Rodney couldn’t believe how sexy John was, and that he’d come all the way to Ontario just to meet him. That was rom-com level stuff, and that sort of thing never happened to him. His stomach was in knots.

“Did you get your retirement package?”

“I’m just an average US citizen,” John replied.

“There’s nothing average about you.” Rodney dropped his bag and moved in to kiss John, who readily kissed him back, and it was better than any imaginings Rodney’d had in all the months they’d chatted online.

“You’re even better in person,” John murmured in his ear.

“So are you.” Rodney pulled back. “I’d love to take you home and have my way with you, but if I don’t eat something soon I will literally die.”

“Yeah,” John said, his voice a little rough. “Let’s, uh, let’s do that. Where do you want to go?”

“First steak place you see.” Rodney slung his bag into the foot well and slid into the passenger seat. Instead of a death trap he now saw the car as an especially expedient way to take care of both his physical hungers.

John got behind the wheel, favoring Rodney with a goofy grin. “Hey. We’re not polar opposites anymore.”

“Just drive,” Rodney said. But he was pretty sure he had a goofy grin too.

**Author's Note:**

>  **AN:** When story_works posted this challenge the mods said, and I quote, _While solstice is the inspiration, and you can certainly draw on the many customs and old rituals associated with the event, you can also take this challenge to be one of all kinds of extremes, the polar opposites, the night and day differences of things._ Naturally, I read ‘polar opposites’ and my mind immediately went to the actual poles. So this happened.
> 
> Super special smoochy thanks to nagi_schwarz and SherlockianSyndromes for their speedy beta services and much-appreciated hand-holding.


End file.
